Loyola News

Loyola again included in Princeton Review's "Guide to Green Colleges"

April 16, 2013 | By Nick Alexopulos

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Loyola University Maryland has been included in The Princeton Review's "Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition," a profile of the most environmentally responsible institutions in the United States and Canada.

This is the second consecutive year Loyola has been included on the list, which was first published in 2010 to recognize schools that demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities, and career preparation.

The Princeton Review recognized Loyola for a number of green initiatives. Loyola has joined other institutions in the region, including Goucher College, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, and the University of Maryland, to develop the Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP), one of the most comprehensive and unique sustainability initiatives in the nation. The ELRP consortium has volunteered to reduce electricity consumption during high-stress periods on the mid-Atlantic grid. Loyola’s other measures to reduce energy consumption include recent retrofitting of 70 percent of campus buildings, implementing programmable thermostats, and adding solar panels on the roof of one of the University’s residence halls. These measures have reduced energy consumption by 12 percent over recent years, despite a growing campus community.

Loyola is also home to Flannery O'Conner Hall, where first-year students have the opportunity to live in a residence hall made from recycled LDPE concrete, powered by a geothermal energy system, and capped off with a green roof, which reduces heat absorption and increases water retention.

A single-stream recycling system put into place in 2006 gives Loyola one of the best recycling rates in the country, diverting 55 percent of its waste from reaching a landfill. In addition, Loyola’s Career Center keeps a large database of green jobs and hosts a non-profit career fair focusing on jobs relating to social justice and the environment. The Evergreen campus is also home to a student-run Environmental Action Club, which raises awareness of sustainability-related issues on campus.

The Princeton Review considered 806 schools for this year’s guide and chose the top 322 based on data from a 50-question survey conducted among hundreds of school administrators. Schools in the guide are not ranked hierarchically.

A complete list of schools in the guide, along with more information about The Princeton Review's methodology, is available at princetonreview.com/green-guide.